


Beauty and the Beast

by abderian



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, High School AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-23 04:43:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/618207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abderian/pseuds/abderian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn Malik was the most popular guy in school. With his good looks he could have anything he wanted, people fell to his feet seeking approval and he took advantage of it. But at the end of summer vacation he messes with the wrong girl, and his looks are stolen from him, only to return if he can find someone to love him for him before the yellow rose wilts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beauty and the Beast

Zayn leaned back against the fence, flicking the butt of a cigarette watching as everyone filed out of school for summer vacation. He ruled the school, nobody could deny that, his looks carried him to the top. Regrettably the same could not be said for his personality.

The popularity he held was not deserved, yet everybody wanted his approval. And often he would make it appear that he gave it, stringing along the girl or boy, waiting until they were inexplicably drawn into his web, and then he would drop them, humiliating them.

But instead of turning on him, his victims only fought harder to seek his attention. Zayn Malik was untouchable. And now he was going to enjoy his vacation, extending his reign over those who had yet to meet.

Dropping the butt of the cigarette and grinding it under his foot, Zayn slipped on the pair of sunglasses on, swaggering over to his motorbike. He kicked it into gear, well aware of the admiring looks he was getting, but he showed no recognition.

As the wind whipped past his face Zayn smirked, remembering the final day. Zayn was bisexual, it was no secret, and as such he wasn’t limited to one gender for his conquests. That day it had been a pitiful boy called Samuel.

He was good looking, a mop of soft brown hair falling into his light green eyes, but he was weak and had fallen for Zayn’s advances. There was power in those hazel eyes, in the flutter of those long lashes, his beautiful tan skin and carefully styled quiff. Everyone wanted to be the one to say that Zayn Malik had fallen in love with them, simply because he had the looks of a god.

Over the past week Zayn had flirted with the poor boy, causing his heart to race, to hope beyond reason that he was going to be the one. Until that Friday lunch time, when Zayn had thrown a drink in his face, sneering as he pointed out the boys flaws, reducing him to tears, a smug satisfaction as he knew that once again he was the most powerful person at the school.

Pulling into the driveway, Zayn clicked the button, forcing the electronic door to open so he could ride into the garage. He dumped his bag and walked into the empty house. He technically had been living with his uncle since his parents had passed away, but the moment Zayn had turned 18, he had decided that he was old enough to take care of himself, and his uncle had left on a non-stop vacation, happily spending his copious amounts of money.

Zayn only had one more year of schooling, he would have been done if it wasn’t for the fact he was held back a grade early in his education after the death of his parents. And he planned to live it up and make a name for himself, to totally take advantage of his looks and hold no prisoners. And he was going to start now.

xXx

The club was pulsing, the alcohol permeating the air, bodies gyrating in time to the music. Zayn sat in a corner, a beer in one hand, the other hand resting on the hips of a Hispanic girl. Her caramel hair rippled in gentle waves, her brown eyes sparkled as she admired the boy who gave her attention, giggling melodically.

It was a typical situation and Katya was just the more recent of Zayn’s victims. He had spent his holidays jumping from club to party, picking up a different girl and boy every night. And he held no regrets.

His hand caressed her hip, daringly dropping to grasp her bum, as Zayn leant in to kiss her neck, his breath raising goose bumps. He moved upward, stopping to nip her ear.

“I could never love you. You’re just some fun I am having tonight, so be glad that I am gracing you with my good looks, making you the envy of all the girls and guys, because let’s be honest Katya, you are kinda plain. And I am finished with you now.”

His hand slipped back and Zayn stood, leaving the shocked girl behind, glancing at his watch as he left the club. Walking down the street he pulled out a cigarette, lighting it, enjoying the calming sensation as the smoke filled his lungs, watching entranced as the exhaled smoke contrasted the dark sky.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt eyes train on him, the feeling that he was being followed causing butterflies in his stomach.

Zayn turned slowly, his hazel eyes coming to a rest on Katya, her face grim, her eyes gleaming with hatred and disgust.

“Zayn Malik, how long do you think you can keep abusing your looks so you can hurt people? You draw people to you with a single look and you seek to destroy them.”

Shifting uncomfortably, Zayn refused to meet her eyes as she stepped forward.

“You are going to learn your lesson Zayn Malik. Let’s see how you last without your looks. Let’s see if you can fall in love, and get that person to love you back, without your looks. And if you fail, well you can say good bye to being attractive forever.”

Uneasily he stepped back, feet catching on the uneven cement, causing him to hit the ground as Katya began to chant, her hands raised to the skies. Unwillingly Zayn looked upward as the wind picked up, a green haze of clouds slowly circling, lightening flashing across the sky.

Fear crept into his mind, and he was frozen, watching in silent horror as the tempest focused on him, controlled by Katya’s chanting. Pain began to build behind his eyes, and his body grew weak, eyes trying to remain focused, but slipping and becoming blurry as darkness overcame him.

The last thing Zayn saw as his eyes slipped close was the sky clear, and Katya place a single yellow rose and note on his chest.

xXx

The alarm blared, and Zayn through his arms over his eyes, reaching out blindly to shut the clock up. His head was pounding as he tried to remember the night before. As memories of the chanting girls and the tempest assaulted his mind, he was sure that he had had too much to drink.

Slipping from his bed, Zayn approached the bathroom, feet shuffling along the ground as his entire body felt lethaagic. Shutting the door behind him, he warily rubbed his eyes, glancing upward.

His heart pounded, intense fear pumping through his veins, and he bit back a scream. Small steps toward the mirror, his fingers traced his face in horror.

Three long scars ran from his right temple to his chin, disfiguring his once perfect face, pulling at his eye and pinching his mouth. His eyes had dulled to a muddy mix of brown and green, still hazel, but the no longer held beauty. His hair, which he spent so long on, was gone, nothing more than dark stubble on his head preventing him from being completely bald.

Hollowness filled his stomach, to him appearance was everything, it was the basis of his power, and now it had been snatched from him. Tears clung, unshed, to his eyelashes; his hands trembled slightly as anger flashed through his mind. He couldn’t even think straight.

Stepping into the shower, steam slowly filled the room, obscuring his view of the mirror, the water running in tiny rivets over his destroyed face, while his hands ran over his shaved head. It was the last day of summer vacation, tomorrow he returned to school, and his transformation would be the gossip.

Zayn wasn’t stupid, he knew that his looks had held him above the rest of the student populace, and without them, he had no true friends to rely on. He would be alone, and that scared him.

He shut the water off, stepping out, throwing one last glance at the fogged up mirror, wincing at the distorted image, before returning to his room.

Pulling on a pair of pants, but leaving his chest bare, he spotted the foreign object on his desk. A small glass dome, delicately decorated, a single yellow rose supported inside. Zayn watched mesmerised as it slowly rotated, the flower open in full blossom.

His eyes diverted as he spotted a carefully folded piece of paper. Carefully he picked it up, unfolding it and letting himself absorb the words.

You used to be pretty on the outside, but now you are a true reflection of yourself. You need to learn that you cannot get by life mistreating people, thinking you are better because you are more attractive. You used your looks to make others fall in love with you, while you yourself never fell in love. The yellow rose is your timer, one month it will live, slowly wilting. In this time you must find someone who will love you despite your appearance, and if you fail your looks will be lost forever.

The paper fluttered to the ground, slipping from Zayn’s outstretched fingers, the same words on the page being repeated back through his mind as he remembered the night before.

Love. He had to find love, he had avoided that very emotion for so long, and scared of the loss he could suffer. And now here he was, he would have to open his heart, to make someone love him while he looked hideous. It was a frightening concept.

xXx

He stared at the ceiling, his tumultuous mind avoiding sleep as nervous anticipation for the following day coursed through his body. In mere hours he had to face the school, the judgemental stares. Never had he been the one to be judged, he had always been judge, jury and executioner.

Finally his eyes fluttered closed and he fell into a restless sleep, his dreams permeated with both the taunting faces of his peers, turning their backs as he was no longer at the top of the pyramid, and the horrific memories of the storm, the tempest that had altered his life.

In between the nightmarish flashes, he was falling in darkness, hopeless, trying to fly, the only sound giving him hope, the tiniest rope to hold him up, was a laugh. A laugh he never even remembered dreaming when he woke up.

Sunlight filtered through the curtains, and Zayn wrenched his eyes open, a new found resolve pulsing from his heart. He would stay untouchable, he would show no weakness, as if he showed how much his appearance affected him he would be destroyed.

As he prepared for school, he grabbed an apple for his breakfast, wincing as he noted his sunglasses did little to improve his appearance. Pushing a packet of cigarettes into his pocket, he grabbed his helmet, walking out to the garage and climbing on the bike.

Sunlight filtered down, and Zayn temporarily forgot his woes as he rode. While he was on the bike, the helmet gave him an air of mystery, and his face and hair couldn’t be seen. But with each rotation of the wheels he drew closer to the school, his dull eyes glazing over with a hard look, and the scowl etching itself to his face.

All eyes landed on him as he pulled up, and for once Zayn hesitated. Hesitated to remove the helmet. But he squared his shoulders imposingly, and lifted it off, gasps rushing through the crowd as they glimpsed the ruined face of the once beautiful.

Mutterings broke out from the crowd, the spell Zayn held truly broken as they started to giggle at his misfortune. No one approached him, they were still scared, but any admiration was long gone. His personality pushing them away, without his looks to draw them in. Zayn was well and truly alone.

xXx

English, Zayn would be lying if he claimed to not like the subject. It came easily to him, but his prowess was not a ready known fact among the school population. He stood at the door, eyes wandering to find an empty seat, ignoring the curious eyes raking over the scars. There was only one seat, in the far corner, next to a boy he did not recognise.

There was a flutter in his stomach as Zayn simply observed the stranger. Sunlight filtered in, touching his blond hair delicately, caressing his pale cheeks, illuminating the boy, highlighting the unnatural beauty. He never once looked up, his face silently upturned toward the window, enjoying the heat as it kissed his skin. Never had Zayn found himself in awe of another individual, never had he felt the draw that one’s beauty can hold. He had always abused the power, and now this boy, so angelic, used the same power against him, totally unknowingly.

Zayn felt his feet move, silently between the desks, all sounds of everyone in the room muted he dropped his bag, and slid into the seat with a thud, eliciting a response from the perfect being.

His breath caught in his throat as he fell into the eyes of bluest blue, a mixture of both the sky, the ocean and the most precious of gemstones. But the blue eyes sought him out, falling on where they thought he sat, but not focusing.

“Hi, my name is Niall. Who are you?” His voice held the soft lilting quality that identified him as Irish, and the fog of his perfection slowly cleared from Zayn’s mind, allowing him to find his voice, slightly shocked that Niall did not recognise him.

“Zayn Malik.” His voice was gruff, but recognition immediately registered on Niall’s face, and he wrinkled his nose in disgust as he turned away, no further attempt at conversation.

Thoughts swirled in Zayn’s mind, the boy had obviously recognised the name, as he held it in disdain, but he had not recognised the face. He was about to ask, annoyance coating his tongue when he realised something. Niall was reading, his fingers slowly tracing the brail in the book. Niall was blind.

xXx

The fascination with Zayn’s destroyed face soon died down, but he found himself fixated on something beyond his looks.

Every English lesson, Zayn would try to talk to Niall, desperate to hear the Irish tone once more. His reputation had preceded him, and without the gift of sight, Niall had formed his opinion based upon Zayn’s known personality. He hated him to his very core, yet he was willing to give everyone a chance, his kind nature winning out, and he relented allowing himself to converse.

One lesson was all it had taken for Zayn’s façade to begin to cool. Niall was the first person to be allowed past the barriers to see the real Zayn, the one that was so carefully hidden from the rest of the world. But even as Niall was allowed in to see the real Zayn, the blond boy built up his own barriers careful to avoid the heartache that Zayn was known for dealing.

And Niall found himself drawn when Zayn began to hum under his breath another day, the melodic sound painting a picture in Niall’s mind more beautiful than anything the eye could behold.

But outside English the never saw each other, both would disappear in the crowd of students, each stopping to imagine what they will talk about the next time they met. Wondering if either would have the courage to possibly suggest friendship, and maybe someday, something more.

Niall had never known friendship, his blindness left him an outsider, someone that was avoided. He had heard tell of Zayn long before he had meet him, and the tales of the god who would break hearts were hardly endearing. He had sworn to himself as he heard yet another person sob over his actions that he would never fall into that web, but he wasn’t worried, he was hardly someone that would be on Zayn’s radar. And yet here he was, only a few weeks into the new school year, and he was already hopelessly stuck.

Somehow when Zayn had realised that Niall was blind, it was like an expectation was lifted. Niall could never judge him, he would never have fallen based on looks, and he couldn’t judge him now his looks were gone. The boy was magical, drawing Zayn out, revealing a personality long hidden by years of cruelty. Zayn was truly himself, laughing and joking when he was with the boy, showing compassion, kindness and tenderness. But the moment he left, the mask was back, as he shoved his way through the school, and Zayn was sick of it. He didn’t want to be that person, being the way that he was when he was with Niall was something more, something better. Niall was a drug and he was hopelessly addicted.

xXx

Two weeks had passed since Zayn had sat next to Niall in English, but now he sat at his desk, staring forlornly at the yellow rose, its petals half wilted as the time to find his love elapsed. He glanced across, tracing the scars, desperate to regain his looks. He knew it was selfish, he had fallen for Niall, and part of him knew that although Niall had fallen for him, there was still hesitation. Zayn had to take Niall, pull him into his life and never let him leave. Niall was the only one who could save him from his misery, and the only one who had no care for his looks.

His eyes trailed over the note, it was worn, the edges torn from the number of times that he had read it. Internally a battle was commencing, over whether he should push Niall, try and make the blond boy fall for him, simply so he could regain his looks, his power. But in doing so he would risk everything, and he could lose Niall forever, and his heart ached, reminding his that he was falling, something he had sworn never to do. Hardening his heart, tracing the scars he made the decision.

But under his steal chains, he wasn’t sure if he was detached enough to follow it through.

Shakily he stood, running his hands through his hair, it had started to grow, but it was a slow process, and it was still very short. He was determined to get it back, to get his looks back, he longed for the power, and the more he fixated, the easier it was to ignore how his heart protested.

xXx

Long fingers plucked at the guitar chords, the music floating across the air, the chords so vivid and beautiful. Music was how Niall expressed himself. Without sight sound was so important, and he knew as his fingers pinched at the strings that he was drifting, inspired by Zayn.

His voice began to mingle with the music. Niall was scared, he was scared at how fast he had fallen and how he could see no escape. The only grip he held on reality was that Zayn had not turned on the charm, he had only been himself. And Niall knew if Zayn tried he would be putty in his hands.

But as the music swirled around the room, Niall quietly assured himself that Zayn really did like him, he wasn’t just another conquest who would be tossed aside. Mentally, somewhere behind the fascination, Niall was prepared to flee at the first sign that he was being used, that this Zayn he had fallen for was all just an act.

He just needed to find the resolve to act. To confess and hope or to escape and run.

xXx

Zayn walked into the room, yet no one acknowledged him, he had faded to infamous anonymity within the school. Niall was already sitting, and a voice screamed at him that that boy meant more than any looks, but Zayn had spent a week debating and now five days stood in the life of the rose, and he had locked up all his inhibitions.

He cleared his throat nervously, “Niall.”

Niall looked in his general direction, picking up the hesitation in his voice. “Yeah?”

“Look I like you Niall, and I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date? We could just go to the park and have a picnic tomorrow afternoon.”

Bliss fogged Niall’s mind, and he ignore the way Zayn’s words sounded forced, the charm coating the second guesses. Zayn was committed, and Niall was in love.

They spent the rest of the lesson planning, talking about how they would spend the next evening. And although Zayn had the ulterior motive of regaining his looks, he couldn’t help the small flutter in his stomach at Niall’s excitement, the tiny sigh that slipped past his lips as he lost himself in the twinkle in Niall’s eye.

xXx

White clouds drifted lazily across the sky, birds dipped and swirled between the trees, the leaves reflecting their brilliant emerald green.

Niall could not see any of it, but he could imagine as he sat, his hand held loosely in Zayn’s, the taste of the food rolling off his tongue, the slight breeze brushing against his cheek. It was more than he could ever imagine.

As he heard Zayn laugh, there was a desperate desire to see his face, to look into the eyes of the boy he loved. He lifted his hand, reaching towards Zayn’s face. His hands rested on Zayn’s cheeks, he could feel the scars under his hand.

Niall shifted, kneeling in front of a frozen Zayn, slowly tracing the face, remembering the contours.

Tingles ran through Zayn’s body as Niall’s fingers gently caressed his face, running from his temple to mouth, gently stroking his scares, a look of wonder in his unseeing eyes.

“What happened?” He asked gently, as Zayn leaned into his hand, finding comfort in its warmth.

“An accident.” It wasn’t the full truth, but Zayn could not bring himself to say how he had become disfigured.

Niall heard the disgust in his voice, and he gently smiled. “Zayn, you are beautiful to me no matter what you look like.” He leaned in and gently placed a kiss on Zayn’s forehead.

And that’s when Zayn couldn’t do it, he couldn’t use Niall just to get his looks back. And all plans of forcing Niall to confess his love and kiss him were forgotten, as he glanced lovingly at the small blond.

xXx

Friday morning loomed and Zayn looked sadly at the rose, withered and so close to death. The time was gone, he had made his choice and he had chosen Niall. And today he had decided to tell Niall the truth, the truth behind his ugly scars.

As he slipped into the seat next to Niall, he took the blonds hand gently, his heart warming as Niall turned to him with a grin.

“Niall I have to tell you something.”

Niall felt his heartbeat pick up, three little words fluttering across his mind, and anticipation filled his eyes. But he would have to wait.

“So you think you could come to the park this afternoon? It’s important.” Niall nodded slowly, hearing the pleading voice stress the importance.

The pair sat through the lesson in silence, tiny sparks of electricity flying whenever they touched.

xXx

Dark clouds had drifted across, hiding the blue sky, while Zayn waited, holding in his hands the dying rose. His heart beat faster as he saw Niall walk toward him carefully, using his stick to feel his way, knowing where to go thanks to Zayn’s guiding voice.

The air was crisp, and the smell of rain hung in the air, but Zayn only saw sunshine as Niall stopped in front of him.

“Niall I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

At those words, Niall’s stomach dropped, and he prepared to rip his heart out and run. He bit his lip preparing for the worst, but he wasn’t expecting Zayn to pick his hand up and run it over a flower. He could feel the wilted petals, and the rose sent tingles up his spine, holding a magic about it.

“My face wasn’t scarred in an accident. You know my reputation, it’s all true, but I messed with the wrong girl. She cursed me, taking away my good looks, saying that I deserved to be as ugly on the outside as I was on the inside. She warned me the only way to break the curse was to find someone who would fall in love with me for me.”

Rain drops began to splutter, the two boys alone in the centre of the rain shower, the entire park silent.

“The deadline was today, when the rose dies, the opportunity to go back to how I used to look is gone. Niall I was prepared to use you to get my looks back, but I just couldn’t. You mean more to me than a rose. You mean more to me than the way I look.”

The rose dropped, wilting and dying as it hit the ground.

“I love you Niall.” Zayn whispered as he leaned in, capturing Niall in a gentle kiss.

The rain fell heavier, clinging to the two boys, fireworks exploding, the kiss perfection. Light began to snake around them, illuminating their faces, but they were unaware, caught in each other’s embrace.

Niall pulled away, blinking his eyes as a picture came to him. He could see Zayn’s face, unblemished, perfect, his hazel eyes shining and his quiff deflated from the rain. Wonder crossed his eyes as he glanced around, soaking in the colours of the world for the first time, but no matter what he saw, Zayn was the best.

“You’re beautiful.” He choked out, “I can see and you are beautiful.”

Zayn raised his hand to his face, feeling the unblemished skin with shock. But he quickly dropped his hand, “Nothing is more beautiful than us babe.”

Laughing he picked Niall up, spinning around, before stopping and capturing him once more in a kiss, hands holding the blond boy close.

Katya watched from the trees with a smile, holding out her hand as the destroyed rose reformed, vibrant and bright. As she watched the laughing boys, trading kisses in the rain, she knew her work was done.


End file.
